Medical Education最新文献

{"title":"Towards justice: Applying Rawlsian fairness to health professions education","authors":"Erin Wentzell,&nbsp;Ahdeah Pajoohesh-Ganji,&nbsp;Asish Gulati,&nbsp;Jalina Booker,&nbsp;Yolanda Haywood,&nbsp;Susan LeLacheur,&nbsp;Melissa A. Carroll,&nbsp;Zareen Zaidi","doi":"10.1111/medu.70238","DOIUrl":"10.1111/medu.70238","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Context</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Health professions education (HPE) continues to confront persistent inequities in access, opportunity and outcomes, even as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives have become increasingly contested within institutional and public discourse. Although DEI efforts draw upon a long intellectual tradition in the social sciences, DEI research within HPE remains undertheorized, in part because the field is often siloed from broader philosophical debates about justice and fairness. While these concepts are widely valued, they are interpreted and applied differently across cultural, political and institutional contexts, contributing to misunderstanding and resistance when DEI-oriented reforms lack explicit normative grounding. Revisiting the theories that underlie DEI work is therefore important for clarifying why inequities matter in HPE and how institutions justify efforts to address them.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Proposal</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We highlight prioritarian moral reasoning as a foundational, though often implicit, commitment underlying DEI work in HPE. Prioritarianism holds that improving the position of those who are worse off carries special moral importance, particularly when disadvantage arises from structural conditions rather than individual choice. Within this framework, John Rawls's theory of ‘justice as fairness’ offers a lens for examining DEI in HPE institutions. Rather than presenting Rawls as a comprehensive or universally accepted theory, this paper situates his work alongside broader intellectual traditions that inform DEI and emphasizes its relevance for examining how educational opportunities are organized and justified.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Drawing on Rawls's emphasis on fair opportunity and attention to those least advantaged, the paper highlights how justice as fairness can be used pragmatically in admissions, curriculum, assessment and resource allocation. In particular, it invites HPE to ask whether the changes being implemented are acceptable under conditions of fair opportunity and <i>whether they would improve the position of the least advantaged</i>. Used this way, Rawls's ideas support efforts to identify structural barriers and design policies that expand meaningful opportunity.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":18370,"journal":{"name":"Medical Education","volume":"60 11","pages":"1195-1200"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147775758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A playlist approach to teaching osteoporosis risk factors","authors":"Jadah Keith,&nbsp;Kimberly Manning","doi":"10.1111/medu.70236","DOIUrl":"10.1111/medu.70236","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18370,"journal":{"name":"Medical Education","volume":"60 11","pages":"1279-1280"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147839865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Culture, power and practice: Critical discourse analysis of workplace-based assessments in hierarchical postgraduate medical education","authors":"Qamar Riaz,&nbsp;Dominique Waterval,&nbsp;Carolin Sehlbach,&nbsp;A. T. G. (Aggie) Paulus","doi":"10.1111/medu.70251","DOIUrl":"10.1111/medu.70251","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Workplace-based assessments (WPBAs) are widely promoted as formative tools to promote learning in postgraduate medical education. However, their meaning and effectiveness are deeply influenced by sociocultural and institutional contexts, particularly hierarchy and power relations. Understanding how these dynamics shape WPBA discourses remains underexplored. This study examines how residents' discourse about WPBAs reflects and reproduces hierarchical relations in Pakistan.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This qualitative study employed Fairclough's three-dimensional Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework to examine WPBA discourses as reflected through residents' language-in-use. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with senior medical residents from diverse specialties and institutions across Pakistan. Analysis focussed on textual features (micro level), discursive practices (meso level) and broader sociocultural structures (macro level).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Three themes were identified: (1) <i>WPBAs for Surveillance and Control</i>, where assessments were linked to reputational risk and gatekeeping rather than learning; (2) <i>Hierarchy and Fear of Judgement</i>, highlighted how norms of deference, silence and emotional restraint shaped assessment interactions; and (3) <i>Strategic Compliance to Survive WPBAs</i>, where residents employed adaptive behaviours and self-regulation to minimise risk of reputational damage, loss of clinical opportunities or strained faculty relationships. These findings illustrate how WPBAs are not neutral tools but culturally situated practices that reflect and reinforce institutional power dynamics.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our findings indicate that culturally sensitive adaptation of WPBAs requires more than faculty training or checklist refinement; it should consider the communicative norms and power dynamics of everyday clinical education. When assessments are shaped by fear, reputational risk or hierarchical control, WPBAs can undermine their intended developmental purpose. This cautions against uncritical adoption of WPBA frameworks across contexts and emphasises culturally responsive approaches that foster psychological safety, dialogue and genuine learner development. Otherwise, in hierarchical contexts, WPBAs risk functioning as mechanisms of control rather than as tools for feedback and growth.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":18370,"journal":{"name":"Medical Education","volume":"60 11","pages":"1256-1264"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/medu.70251","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148272159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When I say … absenteeism","authors":"Lorenzo Madrazo,&nbsp;Samantha Halman,&nbsp;Susan Humphrey-Murto,&nbsp;Kori A. LaDonna","doi":"10.1111/medu.70212","DOIUrl":"10.1111/medu.70212","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Physician and resident absences from work have become a growing concern in recent years, particularly as the profession has become more attuned to issues of physician well-being and faces lingering effects from the COVID-19 pandemic.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1, 2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; ‘Absenteeism’ has been used in the literature to encompass all forms of absences.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;3, 4&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Yet in a culture that values presenteeism, or coming to work even when sick,&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;5&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; the word absenteeism does more than describe—it passes judgement, carrying implicit assumptions about character, commitment and professionalism. As we unpack throughout this article, we suggest that not all forms of absence are equal and argue that not all absences connote absenteeism. A more critical examination of how absenteeism is defined—and of what is implied when the term is used—may help advance more nuanced and productive conversations about physicians' work and well-being.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We define &lt;i&gt;absence&lt;/i&gt; as a discrete event—someone is away from rounds, a call shift, clinic or a mandatory teaching session. Absences can either be &lt;i&gt;planned&lt;/i&gt; (e.g., vacations, parental leave or attendance at conferences) or &lt;i&gt;unplanned&lt;/i&gt; (e.g., sudden illness, personal emergencies or urgent family responsibilities). Planned absences are usually less controversial because they are expected. In contrast, unplanned absences disrupt work, inconvenience patients, and thus draw more scrutiny, often prompting questions of legitimacy even when fully justified.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1, 2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Among unplanned absences, none invite more suspicion than those deemed avoidable or unsanctioned&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1, 2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt;—what the education literature calls &lt;i&gt;truancy&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; In practice, an example of truancy would be the physician or trainee who ‘calls in sick’ but later posts about their presence at a personal event on social media. Although truancy entails deliberate deception, not all unplanned absences are dishonest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In contrast to its colloquial use, we conceptualise &lt;i&gt;absenteeism&lt;/i&gt; not as a single absence—or even a tally of absences—but as absences interpreted as a pattern of behaviour, often experienced as the internal voice that asks, ‘Dr. X is away &lt;i&gt;again?&lt;/i&gt;’ While patterns of absenteeism have been linked with problems such as burnout, career dissatisfaction and substance use, not every unplanned absence signals such problems.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;6&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; We therefore emphasise absenteeism as an &lt;i&gt;interpretation&lt;/i&gt; rather than direct observation: We imply a pattern from what we see, recognising that we do not see or know everything. Yet despite the many possible explanations for absence, our interpretations are rarely generous: Interpretation quickly becomes judgement and judgement a proxy for character.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Why does this matter? Because labels stick. In medicine, presence is currency. Those engaged in presenteeism are seen as ‘dedicated’ and accrue social c","PeriodicalId":18370,"journal":{"name":"Medical Education","volume":"60 11","pages":"1178-1179"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/medu.70212","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147504401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Playmobil for stepping up, pressure and prioritisation skills","authors":"Simon J. Mercer","doi":"10.1111/medu.70192","DOIUrl":"10.1111/medu.70192","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18370,"journal":{"name":"Medical Education","volume":"60 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146258033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Resilience and resistance in the time of conflict","authors":"Susan van Schalkwyk","doi":"10.1111/medu.70326","DOIUrl":"10.1111/medu.70326","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;In most countries across the world, education and health care are regarded as inalienable human rights, enshrined in many of the mission statements of global organisations and national constitutions. Medical education intersects these two human rights in a unique way. The intent of a medical student's education is ultimately about the provision of health care. From the very first day at medical school, students are told that their role in society will be a weighty one, one that will carry a particular responsibility, and that people's lives will be entrusted to their care. Typically, an incoming student will be cautioned about the challenges that lie ahead and the sacrifices that they will need to make as they journey towards becoming doctors. They will be encouraged to be disciplined and hard-working and to develop coping mechanisms that will help them through the tough times. Apart from the disciplinary content that students are expected to master, they are also required to develop competence as leaders, communicators and to advocate against injustice and unethical practice, acting as agents of change.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Much is expected of these future healthcare professionals&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But what happens when the educational environment within which so much is expected is characterised by injustice and inequity?&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; When the health care system within which students must train is dysfunctional, when a country is at war, when a political regime is characterised by an absence of justice and integrity? At the time of writing this Commentary, the world is awash with global conflicts, regional skirmishes, famine, drought and health crises. For some reading this piece, such occurrences might feel somewhat removed from their day-to-day existence, but there can be no doubt that in many contexts across the globe the environment within which the next generation of health care professionals is being trained suffers from some form of disruption, some form of discrimination. This has significant implications for learning; it also has implications for identity formation, and for being and becoming a health care professional.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this issue of &lt;i&gt;Medical Education&lt;/i&gt;, Rehman et al.'s&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; phenomenological study of Afghan female medical students in Iran offers a case study for us to consider in light of the above. It provides insight into the narratives of this group of students forced to leave their home country to follow their dreams of becoming doctors and explores the implications that flowed from doing so. While the paper deals with a range of issues relating to their participants' experiences, two concepts stood out for me—resilience and resistance. For these participants, becoming a doctor ‘emerged as a symbol of purpose and resistance’&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt;. They positioned resilience and resistance as intertwined, demonstrating their resilience ‘by viewing their education as an act of ","PeriodicalId":18370,"journal":{"name":"Medical Education","volume":"60 11","pages":"1176-1177"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/medu.70326","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149038864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Moving beyond tokenism: A structured and intentional approach to embedding health advocacy in medical education","authors":"Anett Nyaradi,&nbsp;Manori Amarasekera,&nbsp;Denise Demmer","doi":"10.1111/medu.70266","DOIUrl":"10.1111/medu.70266","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18370,"journal":{"name":"Medical Education","volume":"60 11","pages":"1281-1282"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148376302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The roots of resistance: An institutional ethnography of faculty opposition to social justice curricula in undergraduate medical education","authors":"Allison Brown,&nbsp;Amanda Roze des Ordons,&nbsp;Adibba Adel,&nbsp;Jessica Young,&nbsp;Rahim Kachra,&nbsp;Regine U. King","doi":"10.1111/medu.70227","DOIUrl":"10.1111/medu.70227","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Augmenting training on the social and structural determinants of health in medical education is essential for addressing health disparities and fulfilling medical schools' accreditation-mandated social accountability obligations. Despite these mandates, significant implementation challenges impede curricular efforts, including faculty capacity and resistance to teaching equity-focused content. To navigate this resistance, we must first understand it.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>An institutional ethnography was conducted over 18 months at a Canadian medical school to trace how faculty resistance is socially and institutionally organised. Data included field observations, interviews with 14 faculty and curriculum leaders and analysis of 124 institutional and regulatory texts. Analysis traced how ruling relations and text-mediated practices shape faculty engagement with social justice education.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Faculty resistance—manifesting as scepticism, discomfort and disengagement—was shaped by professional identities rooted in biomedicine and authoritative expertise, hierarchical structures and sociopolitical discourses that framed equity as ideological. Licensing examination objectives operated as <i>boss texts</i> that perpetuated these dynamics, producing tensions that sidelined health equity and social justice content in favour of biomedical priorities. A recursive ideological circle and institutional circuit reinforced the marginalisation of social justice in medical education.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Faculty resistance to teaching health equity and social justice-oriented content is not simply individual or attitudinal, but an institutional product shaped by professional, structural and sociopolitical relations. Addressing this requires structural re-alignment across governance, regulatory frameworks and professional norms to position social justice as integral, rather than peripheral, to contemporary medical education and practice.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":18370,"journal":{"name":"Medical Education","volume":"60 11","pages":"1216-1234"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/medu.70227","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147775812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Professional identity struggles in healthcare professions education: A theoretical review","authors":"Adam P. Sawatsky,&nbsp;Lynn V. Monrouxe,&nbsp;Caroline L. Matchett,&nbsp;Lara Varpio,&nbsp;Pim W. Teunissen,&nbsp;Ellen L. Usher","doi":"10.1111/medu.70235","DOIUrl":"10.1111/medu.70235","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Professional identity formation in healthcare professions education (HPE) is a complex and often fraught process. Physicians and trainees experience identity struggles as they navigate their personal and professional development, along with the conflicting expectations, cultural norms and systemic pressures within the healthcare environment. Despite growing attention to these challenges, conceptual clarity around identity struggle remains limited.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Method</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To advance theoretical understanding of identity struggle, we conducted a critical narrative review of identity theories from developmental psychology, social psychology and sociology. We selected three major theoretical traditions—Neo-Eriksonian, symbolic interactionist and social identity theories—and analysed their conceptualizations of identity, identity development and identity struggle. We examined these diverse perspectives to inform research and educational practice on professional identity formation in HPE.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Each theoretical tradition offers distinct insights into identity struggle. Neo-Eriksonian theories emphasize exploration and commitment as central processes, framing struggle as developmental and potentially productive. Symbolic Interactionist theories highlight the role of socialization and identity dissonance, viewing struggle as emerging from tensions between personal agency and societal norms. Social Identity theories focus on group belonging and intergroup dynamics, conceptualizing struggle at both individual and socio-contextual levels. We provide common critiques and limitations of each theoretical tradition. These perspectives illuminate varied mechanisms through which identity struggle manifests and evolves.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This review underscores the multifaceted nature of identity struggle and the value of theoretical pluralism in understanding professional identity formation. Struggle is not inherently negative; rather, it can be a catalyst for growth when appropriately framed and supported. We propose how educators and researchers might use these theoretical lenses to design interventions that foster productive identity development and address systemic contributors to identity struggles. We invite scholars drawing on critical perspectives of power and structure to challenge and deepen the conversation on identity struggle in HPE.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":18370,"journal":{"name":"Medical Education","volume":"60 11","pages":"1201-1215"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147816830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Graduate attributes as expressions of mastersness in HPE master's programmes: An international Delphi study.","authors":"Mariette Volschenk, Susan Van Schalkwyk, Heinri Zaayman, Elize Archer, Ara Tekian","doi":"10.1111/medu.70333","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.70333","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE) programmes develop clinician-educators, educational scholars and academic leaders. Despite the global growth of these programmes, no internationally shared articulation of the graduate attributes that express master's-level development (mastersness) currently exists. This absence constrains curriculum coherence, comparability across programmes and alignment with expected graduate roles. This study aimed to establish international consensus on the essential attributes of MHPE graduates.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a three-round electronic Delphi study. In Round 1, we invited 62 established health professions education (HPE) scholars to propose candidate attributes, and 21 participated. Round 2 expanded the panel to include MHPE programme leads, lecturers, researchers and HPE scholarship unit directors (168 were invited and 35 participated), who rated attributes for inclusion. We predefined consensus as ≥70% agreement. In Round 3, 23 of 35 eligible panellists ranked the agreed attributes. We analysed quantitative data descriptively and iteratively synthesised qualitative comments. Surveys were administered anonymously using REDCap.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Round 1 generated 100 items that were synthesised into 18 attributes. In Round 2, 14 attributes met the predefined consensus threshold and two additional attributes were retained for further exploration because of their conceptual relevance to mastersness. Sixteen attributes therefore progressed to ranking. Attributes ranked in Round 3 were grouped into three interrelated categories: core, enabling and aspirational attributes. Qualitative comments highlighted conceptual overlap among attributes, resistance to hierarchical ranking and differing views on foundational and developmental expressions of mastersness.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This study provides an empirically grounded articulation of mastersness in MHPE programmes through a consensus-derived attribute set. Master's-level development appears to extend beyond discrete competencies to encompass integrated scholarly, critical, collaborative and context-responsive ways of knowing, being and acting. The resulting attribute set offers a shared reference point for curriculum design, assessment, programme evaluation and international dialogue while remaining adaptable to diverse educational contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":18370,"journal":{"name":"Medical Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149137263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}